Tasty Traditions
by Sabine Strohem-Moss
Summary: Hoping for a midnight snack, Harry finds Ginny hard at work on her annual Christmas Eve piece: a gingerbread house. With caroling house elves and frosting thrown in the mix, he'll find a whole new side to the holidays. HG, pure chrismas fluff!


**Edited after helpful ConCrit from kingsdork24 ), thanks!**

Disclaimer: I own…the caramels! - - hugs candy- - But for now JKR owns the characters…

So many Christmas one- shots floating around…And you have to admit- there's way too much Christmas potential to resist! Mistletoe, fluffy snow, Christmas feasts, the whole deal. Before I begin, _one_ teensy recommendation: _A Perfect Beginning_ by Milly M. Sweet HG fluffyness.

Enjoy,

SSM

"_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you"_

- - Mariah Carey, _All I want for Christmas is you.

* * *

_

Ginny Weasley spun herself lazily on the periwinkle stool of the kitchens, curling a crimson ringlet absently. House- elfs scurried frenziedly around her, jovial cries of "You is needing to be adding salt!" and "No, this not needing _more_ tomatoes!" flying through the air. She rubbed her hands on her thighs- it was chilly here, and Ginny was clad in her favorite (though slightly skimpy) glossy satin pajama set, a pair of snow- white shorts and a camisole.

"We is almost ready, Miss Wheezy!" a delighted voice called out. Ginny smiled at the beaming house- elf, and replied, "Alright, thanks Dobby!"

With a bow, Dobby returned to the chaos of the cooking- it was Christmas Eve, and the elves were frantically making the annual Christmas dinner. Tantalizing scents of apple cider, cherry pie, and other traditional dishes drifted through the air, and trays of steaming sugar cookies were piled in a corner. Ginny smiled to herself, relaxing, and enjoying her surroundings.

"Oh, you is here Master Potter!" a high- pitched voice squealed, and Ginny whirled around abruptly to find Harry Potter entering the kitchens blearily, rubbing at his eyes. Harry was wearing simple scarlet- and- gold pajamas, with a Gryffindor lion painted across the front.

"Master Potter you is coming to visit us, sir! Dobby didn't know, sir, he would have made something- " Dobby rambled, tears coming to his eyes as he hugged Harry's leg. Ginny grinned- Dobby's devotion to Harry was endearing, but hilarious to watch.

"Er, it's really alright Dobby!" Harry said, slightly desperately wrenching his leg out of the vise- like grip of the house- elf, who grinned and, gesturing to Ginny, added, "Miss Wheezy is here too!"

"Hey Gin," Harry said, obviously surprised to see her there. Ginny was suddenly _very_ aware of how flimsy her outfit was.

"Master Potter!" she squealed, batting her eyelashes playfully at him, "You has come to visit _me_, I'm sure?"

"Cute, Gin, real funny," Harry commented, sticking his tongue out impishly at her, smiling all the same.

"Don't blame _me_ for your house- elf fans, Harry," Ginny scolded mockingly, patting the stool next to her, "And _do_ sit down."

Harry obliged, and Ginny couldn't help but note how much he had grown over the summer- Harry was nowhere _near_ Ron's height, but still towered a good foot over Ginny.

"So what are you doing here?" Ginny asked, resting her elbows on the plush counter.

"Couldn't sleep," Harry confessed, "And I was hungry," he added as an afterthought.

"You have been spending _way_ too much time with my brother, Master Potter," she informed him, smirking, "I mean, since when do _you_ get hungry at _midnight_?"

"You smirk, and yet you're here too," Harry said quietly, smiling faintly. Ginny looked at him- his tone was strange, and whimsical. She considered it for a moment, but shrugged off the observation.

"Ah, but I have a tradition to continue," Ginny said, snatching a golden caramel from a passing tray (a sea of various foods were being carried above the house- elfs' heads) and chewed on it thoughtfully.

"Tradition?" Harry asked curiously, eyeing the amber- hued caramel clinging to Ginny's fingers.

"Yup," she licked the caramel off slowly, enjoying the sweet, "Ever year since I've come to Hogwarts, I come to the kitchens every Christmas Eve for my own little- "

At that moment, Ginny was cut off as the house- elf's chatter suddenly became a loud, roaring chorus, and she promptly clung to the barstool, giggling madly. Harry watched the elves, stunned, as they sang…

"_Weeee wish you a HARRY CHRISTMAS!_

_Weeee wish you a HARRY CHRISTMAS!_

_Weeee wish you a HARRY CHRISTMAS!_

_And lots of BUTTERBEER!"_

"Oh, lord," Ginny whispered through her laughing fit, swaying dangerously on her seat.

"Master Potter sir," Dobby popped up, "We is wanting to wish you a good holidays, and give you and Miss Wheezy a gift!"

With this declaration, and with the house- elves eagerly watching, Dobby proceeded to thrust two, painfully bright socks into their hands. Harry looked down at his- one was a neon green, with (to his embarrassment) miniature Harry Potter heads zooming around violently on it, and the other was a blinding red, adorned in various green zigzags. Just staring at them made Harry's eyes water a bit.

"Thanks," he managed, patting Dobby's head awkwardly- hugging the house- elf might be a _little_ strange.

"Thank you, Dobby," Ginny said happily, slipping her socks (which were similar to Harry's, except in shades of bright fuschia and yellow) onto her feet, "Did you arrange the song as well?"

"Yes, Miss Wheezy!" Dobby replied proudly, "Dobby is making Harry Potter Christmas song!"

Dobby vanished into the mass of elves once again, and Ginny launched into another spasm of giggles. Struggling to breathe, she glanced at Harry, who was beet- red, but grinning all the same.

"Sorry," Ginny gasped, finally regaining her composure, "I couldn't handle your…wonderful…Christmas gifts from Dobby," she added cheekily, pushing loose strands of hair behind her ears as she spoke. Harry watched her do so, admiring the way her hair shone by the Hogwarts candles (countless candles floated above them, illuminating the kitchen gorgeously in a pallid, almost- topaz glow)

"So…" Harry said, desperate for a change of subject, "That tradition?"

"Oh, right," Ginny said, "I think I'll let you see that for yourself, Master Potter," she said mysteriously, winking at him.

"But I must know, Ginny!" Harry cried dramatically, "I _must_!"

Ginny smiled inwardly, wondering when she had last seen Harry so…_playful_. _His life _should _be normal like this_, she thought to herself.

"Alas, my dear Master Potter!" Ginny flung a hand to her forehead, "You cannot _ever_ know, darling. Never ever."

"Oh, you'll tell me, though," Harry said impishly.

"I will do no such thing!" Ginny retorted stubbornly, "And," she added, "You can't make m- "

Ginny was cut off as Harry's fingertips found their way to her stomach, tickling her mercilessly. Ginny shrieked with hysterical laughter (drawing looks from the house- elves) and, finally, cried "_Alright_, I'll tell you!"

"Told you I could do it," Harry said, rising triumphantly, and returning to his stool.

"Sure," Ginny rolled her eyes, "_Anyway_, every year I make a gingerbread house!" she revealed, her innocent glee taking Harry by surprise..

"Right…" Harry nodded, as if he understood. He had heard of gingerbread houses, and had a vague idea of what they were, but really didn't know. And lately, being _near_ Ginny seemed to make him…_stupider_…or clumsier, at any rate.

"Harry," Ginny said solemnly, clasping her hands together mournfully, and gazing at him with large eyes, "_Please_ tell me you know what a gingerbread house is."

"A house made of gingerbread?" Harry suggested. Ginny mock- glowered at him, one hand slapped over her mouth. "We must educate you!" she cried, grabbing his hand and yanking him off of the stool with her, "Dobby!" she yelled into the commotion, causing Dobby to enthusiastically emerge.

"You is ready, Miss Wheezy?" Dobby asked, as excited as Ginny about the gingerbread houses. Harry looked between them, wondering exactly _what_ was so wonderful.

"Yes," Ginny nodded firmly, and Dobby led the two into a room branched off of the kitchens. Ginny drew her wand, and muttered, "_vicissitudo_" quickly before re- pocketing the wand. "_This_," Ginny explained, "is the Hogwarts form- fitting room, as I call it." At Harry's blank look, she explained, "It's kind of like the room of requirement, except it will _always_ have a table and seats, you can change those and the décor, so it's not _as_ good, but it's nice all the same."

Harry examined Ginny's design of the room- the walls splattered with flares of deep tangerine and crimson, and the table was a black, vaguely familiar wood. Glossy wood floors were under him, and the seats were large, plush black bean bags. The room was elegant, but had a comfortable, simple feel to it.

"I like it," Harry said simply, and was glad to see Ginny glow slightly at the comment, and then lead him to the table, seating herself in a bean bag, and having him do the same.

"_Accerso Ginevra_," Ginny tapped the table, and, at another curious stare from Harry, explained, "It's like a summoning spell, but it brings what the house- elves made for me."

As Ginny had muttered the spell, several things had appeared on the blank table: first, several boxes of gingerbread pieces, in small rectangular slabs, and various candies- gumdrops, sprinkles, candy canes, and numerous other things- as well as a gigantic bucket of white icing- were in front of them.

"All right," Ginny cleared out a section on the table, placing many of the materials on the ground, "_First_, we are going to make the foundation of our castle, alright?"

"Castle?" Harry asked, feeling _very_ thick.

"Yup, we're making Hogwarts," Ginny told him, handing him a stack of gingerbread pieces.

"Right…so, uh, what do we do?" Harry asked, wondering _why_ he had to sound like such an idiot in front of Ginny.

"Well," Ginny said primly, handing Harry a butter knife and taking one for herself, "First, we are going to start putting together the basic stuff."

With these words, she demonstrated how to attach the russet pieces with the vanilla frosting, which she did easily, building a wall. Harry, who had chosen to make Gryffindor Tower, found that it was _much_ harder than Ginny made it seem. He slapped a large amount of frosting on one piece, and found it rapidly plopping off the side onto his hand. Another time, he watched helplessly as Gryffindor Tower teetered, than promptly collapsed.

Even worse, Ginny couldn't help but giggle. She tried to stop herself, tucking her lips in, but to no avail.

"You laugh now, but just wait…" Harry said wickedly, fumbling with the icing yet again, "Besides, you have frosting on your face," he informed her.

"Where?" Ginny ran a hand over her face worriedly, and was shocked when Harry swiftly poked her cheek with the edge of his frosting- drenched knife, leaving a white smear along her cheek.

"Harry. Potter." she said, clenching her teeth, "You are _so_ dead!"

Ginny dipped her hand into the bucket, and took a handful of the frosting out, rubbing it across Harry's face and glasses, only to find a lump of the sugary stuff slapped onto her camisole.

"This is _war_!" she shrieked, grabbing the bucket, and attempting to toss it on Harry. Unfortunately, Ginny's vision was slightly clouded by the icing clinging to her eyelashes, and the frosting fell on both of them, leaving them both drenched in white sugar.

"I guess there was more in there than we thought," Harry said, taking off his glasses to reveal his eyes- the only part of him _not_ coated in sticky icing. That was all it took- the two broke into fits of laughter at their ridiculous appearance.

"We look like deranged snowmen," Harry joked, licking a glob of frosting from his cheek.

"True," Ginny agreed, "Can you imagine going back like this? We could scare the castle off!"

The two were seated on the beanbags (which now looked like they could be made of Dalmatian fur), which they had clumped together, and lying back, chatting amiably.

"Alright," Harry said, dragging his wand out of a frosty pocket, "I think I've had enough of this sugary bath. You ready to be cleaned?"

Ginny nodded, and Harry cast _scourgify_ over both of them.

"Um…Harry?" Ginny asked, mirth in her voice.

"I know," Harry said, "I'm not sure how _that_ happened…"

Ginny looked at him- Harry's pajamas were perfectly clean, as were his hands and feet, but his head…if possible, Harry looked _stranger_- a head of frosting on his body was weird- looking, to say the least. And from the stickiness on her face, Ginny guessed she was the same.

"Ah well," Ginny said lightly, "It's still yummy." She ran her finger down Harry's cheek, pulling a glob of frosting off. Harry gazed at her, stunned by how warm her touch was. He ran a timid finger along her cheek, but didn't pull it back, realizing how close her face was to him.

On impulse, he leaned in, closing the distance between them with a light kiss. Harry drew back, astounded by what he had just done, and then, bravely, looked back to Ginny, whose expression was equally stunned.

Ginny finally broke the silence, smiling mischievously, and whispering, "You taste like vanilla."

Harry caught her eye, and in that moment, he _knew_. He knew he didn't need to tell her how beautiful she was, how his heart was jump roping around her, or anything- she seemed to already know.

"You're amazing, you know that?" he murmured in her ear, and Ginny's arm slipped around his neck, pulling him towards her into a slow, passionate kiss. When they broke apart, Harry quietly cast the "_vicissitude_" charm, bringing them a squishy scarlet loveseat.

"This is a beautiful couch," Ginny said into his shoulder- she was sitting half on Harry's lap, her head buried comfortably into his shoulder.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, playing with a ringlet of fiery hair, marveling at how things had changed in the last ten minutes.

"Miss Wheezy, the Wheeze alarm is going off!" Dobby's voice jerked Ginny off of Harry, and both looked at the house- elf, Harry slightly abashed- though he instantly missed Ginny's presence.

"The what?" Harry asked.

"Ron's coming!" Ginny said, eyes wide, "We should…uh…" she paused, mulling it over, "Okay, we are going to _just_ make the gingerbread house, alright?" she said.

"Are you afraid to tell your brother?" Harry teased. As Ginny opened her mouth to protest, however, he added, "Good, 'cause I am too."

Ginny smiled, and pulled him towards her until he was under the doorway.

"What are you doing?" Harry whispered, mesmerized by the depth of her hazel eyes.

"_vicissitude_," Ginny muttered, then pointed up, smiling wickedly- a small sprig of mistletoe hung above the door.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to follow the tradition," Ginny gave a mock- sigh, and leaned towards him.

"I think I like these traditions," Harry demurred to her, as he placed a gentle, gossamer kiss on his now- girlfriend's cherry lips.

In the background, house- elves were singing yet again…

_Have a very Harry Christmas!_


End file.
